Customer Reviews

Parker Brothers Vintage Game Collection Wooden Book Box Stratego

5 star:		(9)
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What prompted me to write this were two valid complaints from the reviews in the current edition of this game here:
Stratego-Milton Bradley Board Games
Namely, that MB reversed the ranking system we're all used to and, well, left the final part of the manufacturing process to the buyer to complete. If you're accustomed to the Marshal as #1 and the Scouts as #9, and don't want to sit and apply stickers just so to 80 Stratego men before your first game, the new edition will frustrate you.

Your deliverance has arrived here in the Library Stratego Game Set. The blue and red plastic pieces arrive ready to engage, stamped and embossed in glorious gold and silver, just the way they used to be. They're numbered Marshal 1, General 2, down to the Scouts as 9, and the board looks right, too.

The part that's better than my long lost original (All it takes to ruin a set is to lose a single piece out the torn ends of that old cardboard beater box) is the game case. It's a finished, polished sturdy thing of solid wood that fits nicely among the leather bound classic volumes on my library shelf. (I'm hoping the kids just might be curious enough to browse the neighboring works of Dickens, Kipling, or Bronte after they play it one day). Treat it well and it will become a treasured heirloom.

I've noticed that the standard, card-board boxed version of Stratego has very many reviews. Most agree with me that the game is great. So, I'll be brief about the game play. There is perhaps a small amount of luck involved in the game. But, that is more than compensated for in the game's unique pro's. Like the requirement for extensive planning (as you arrange the pieces any way you want before play begins) and the need for a good memory, since you can only see the rank of on of your opponents pieces if its involved in an attack (and then it may be too late!).

This particular version is wonderful. I like the wooden bookcase box. The board is beautiful. And, the art on both is great. The pieces, as far as I can see, are exactly the same as the standard version. The board does have to fold up to 1/6th of it expanded size to get into the box. But, it seems to be well made and it laid flat without any trouble when playing. ... As I write this, this version is priced less than the standard cardboard box version! That's crazy. I would much prefer this one even at the same price.

Your kids will love this game and not even know to what extent it is exercising their minds. I played with my son today and it was a blast for me, too. Sometimes you play a game again that you had played as a kid and are disappointed. But, not in this case. Stratego rocks forever.

Stratego is a wonderful game that I rediscovered as an adult, many years after last playing it in a neighbor's basement as a kid. It is simple, unintimidating and fun, but it exercises one's power of observation as well as deductive reasoning and strategic thinking skills (as the name implies). There is enough serendipity and luck involved to make it a great game for adults to play with kids; you won't be bored silly or have to "let 'em win."

Comparing the various versions of Stratego, this Library Edition is definitely the one to buy. The deluxe, embossed game pieces are the primary reason, but the durable, attractive, secure wooden box is the icing on the cake.

Please note that this version uses the traditional "American style" game-piece ranking (lower number equals higher rank), whereas other current American editions have reversed that scheme to match the European version of the game.

Stratego was introduced in the United States in the early 1960s. Offering strategic elements of chess on a familiar board game motif, it became a very popular game in American households during the 1960s and 70s. By 2000, no doubt caving to constant reports of how stupid American children were becoming, Hasbro changed the numbering system on the pieces, completely inverting the familiar 1-9 scale. Historically, the most powerful piece (Marshall) was marked "1" while the least powerful piece (Scout) was marked "9." More recent editions contain pieces marked in the opposite manner, with higher ranked (i.e., stronger) pieces displaying higher numbers. This decision was not met with universal applause, and in response (or perhaps it was planned all along to generate multiple streams of revenue?), Hasbro released a "Vintage" edition. So if you wish to own the same Stratego game you grew up playing, you are forced to find an older game or else purchase the more expensive Vintage edition. Another pitfall for would-be buyers is that Hasbro recently capitalized on the popular fantasy theme, releasing a version of Stratego which replaces the classic Napoleonic army with medieval themed pieces (i.e., dragon, dwarf, slayer). Confusingly, this version is NOT named Stratego--the D&D Battle or Stratego--the Fire and Ice Edition or any other moniker that might be helpful in distinguishing among them. Note also that this version also reduced the number of pieces from forty to thirty.

To recap, there are three current Hasbro (Milton Bradley) offerings. They are all offered on Amazon (at varying price levels) and I will cross reference the manufacturer's part numbers and also provide the relevant links to the games on Hasbro's Web site, although you cannot purchase directly there.

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Stratego Nostalgia
Hasbro Item #40836
(See Comments section below for link.)

The Vintage edition (confusingly titled "Nostalgia" by Amazon) offers the proper (in my opinion!) numbering system, and comes in a keepsake wooden box.
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Stratego-Milton Bradley Board Games
Hasbro Item #04714
(See Comments section below for link.)

The basic Stratego (post-2000) edition offers the proper number of pieces (40) but the inverted ranking system. This last and most important point is not obvious until you scrutinize the Product Details. ("This new, updated version of Stratego is slightly different than the original, though the gameplay is the same.") Plus you need to apply the stickers yourself! Ouch, Hasbro cheaped out.
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Stratego
Hasbro Item #45068
(See Comments section below for link.)

The fantasy-themed version with 30 pieces. Again, Amazon has failed to adequately label the game, simply titling it "Stratego." However the Product Features make it clear. ("Choose to lead warriors from an ancient arctic realm or a fierce army from a land of fiery molten lava.")
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Your best bet? If you simply want the same game you grew up playing, just look for a cardboard boxed set from the 70s or 80s. For example, this version (Stratego - The Classic Game of Battlefield Strategy 1986 Edition) is the same one I have. I have owned it for many years with no complaints. Finding one for yourself, however, might be trickier than you think. Unless you buy it here from a Amazon Marketplace vendor--which is not recommended, given the ridiculous prices--you are left to your own devices to find it in a used game store or at a garage sale. Alternatively, you can buy one of the currently offered versions. But as I have demonstrated, they are not all the same as one another, and indeed very few are identical to what you may have grown up playing.

P.S. After much further research, I believe either of these two sets (Stratego Vintage Wood Book Edition) or (Library Stratego Game Set) are equivalent to the Vintage edition described above, and at least one may be available inexpensively at Target.

For the longest time me and my sister have been playing this game on the oldest board known to man. (You know . . . the discolored garage sale looking ones) I bought this one for her for Christmas and she loved it. The wooden box it comes in is very stylish and the board itself is very nice and clear. The pieces are also nicely detailed. A great up-dated version of the game!

I used to play this game when I was a kid, and still I love it today. The new set has great pieces, a nice box (my old set fell to pieces), and a very good board. Overall, a must-buy.

I'm 36 years old and I remember playing this game in the 5th grade. I loved it then and I love it now! When I saw they had a wooden classic version it took all of .00009 seconds to say "yes, I want it". :-) The nice looking wooden box is a very nice container for one of the best games in the world. If you're looking at this game then you already know how fun it is.

The wooden case is a tight fit for the player pieces and the board which is very nice so things don't slide around. This makes it a perfect travel game as well. The plastic pieces are just right BUT the paint on them does wear off after only a short time. Not to the point where you can't see them but I'm probably going to have to replace them because we really do play a lot.

What would be nice is if they had wooden pieces as well. Until then I will continue to play and enjoy this classic game of stratego for years to come.

I just got this in the mail from Target who apparently has dropped the product. Since the price more than doubled over the weekend, it seems this item has become a limited piece.
Stratego is a classic game and this edition is a fine reproduction. My wife tells me the board, with two lakes and a river, isnt of the original vintage. The materials seem to be very quality, and the "library" container makes the game really stand out. I know my family will enjoy having this for years to come.

I remember this game from my childhood and it is just as fun now as it was then. There is a lot of strategy involved but not as much as chess and much quicker to play than Risk making it a great game to play with kids. If you are tired of taping cardboard boxes of your kid's favorite games I would highly recommend this wooden boxed version. It is well worth the extra money and it is the only way I will buy games in the future!